Today (Friday 27 July) marks four years to go until England host the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held from 27 July to 7 August – twenty years after the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and on the exact – to the day – ten-year anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Games will bring together 6,500 athletes and officials in one of Europe’s youngest cities, which is already home to nearly 200 different nationalities from across the Commonwealth and the rest of the world.

As well as delivering a showcase for sport and a platform for the city’s rich arts and culture scene, the Commonwealth Games will accelerate new housing and transport, create jobs and apprenticeships and deliver a programme that will promote and strengthen trade opportunities across the Commonwealth.

Ian Metcalfe, Chairman of Commonwealth Games England, said: 

“A home Games, is truly special and I know from talking to our athletes just how much they are already looking forward to competing in front of passionate English crowds.

“Preparations are already well underway and in Birmingham in 2022, Team England will be ready to make the whole nation proud once again.

“We’ve seen over the past few months, from our netball team to our men's football team just how sporting success brings the country together.  I am sure that those unforgettable moments of this summer are just a taste of what is to come in four years’ time.”

John Crabtree, Chair of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, said:

“This moment is an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made on all fronts to ensure we deliver an event that promotes the best of the city, region and wider UK on an international stage.

“We are getting on with the planning and preparation – and everything is on course for an event that champions the youth, diversity, humanity and pride of the city and Commonwealth during the summer of 2022.

“Much of that work is currently in the background, but over the weeks and months ahead there will be much more to see, helping show what these Games are about, and how people can personally become a part of the Birmingham 2022 story.”

Louise Martin CBE, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said:

“With fond memories of Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 still in our minds – and continued and tangible benefits for host communities – it is with huge excitement that we begin the countdown to Birmingham 2022. Over the next four years, people of all ages and backgrounds will have the opportunity to be part of an inspiring new chapter in Birmingham’s proud history.”